Lakers lose at home without Bryant
Surprisingly, the Utah Jazz weren’t overjoyed about facing the Los Angeles Lakers without Kobe Bryant in uniform. Their egos say they want to beat teams when they’re at full strength.
And besides, this time they had to guard everybody closely instead of just one player who monopolizes the ball on a regular basis.
Andrei Kirilenko scored 23 points, Keith McLeod scored four of his 15 points in the final 78 seconds and the Jazz took full advantage of Bryant’s suspension to grind out a difficult 98-94 victory on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
“The Lakers did a pretty good job tonight, even without Kobe,” Kirilenko said. “There are lots of examples of teams playing even better without their leader, because they try to pick it up and lots of other guys are shining.
“When he’s on the floor, all the attention is on him and we double- and triple-team him. Without him, everybody can score, so you have to spread your attention. I wouldn’t say it’s harder to play them without Kobe, but it’s not easy, either. It’s just different.”
Bryant was suspended for two games without pay by the NBA after committing a flagrant foul against Mike Miller during last Wednesday’s overtime loss to Memphis. Bryant elbowed Miller in the throat as payback for an earlier foul by Miller, which left Bryant with a gash over his left eye that required three stitches.
The Lakers’ star, who exacerbated the situation with some less than contrite post-game remarks, will forfeit $289,943 in salary. They were 6-10 last year without Bryant, who missed 14 games with a sprained right ankle, one with a bruised right shin, and another for personal reasons.
Brian Cook connected on his first eight shots and finished with 19 points for the Lakers, who lost their fourth straight game after winning nine of their previous 11. He finished 8 for 10 while playing a season-high 40 minutes.
The Lakers, also missing Slava Medvedenko, Aaron McKie and Laron Profit because of injuries, used their seventh different starting lineup due to Bryant’s absence.
Heat 97, Timberwolves 70: At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and the Heat used a big third quarter to pull away from Minnesota. Shaquille O’Neal had 16 points for Miami, which allowed a season low in points, set a season high for margin of victory and held the Timberwolves to their lowest point total this season. Wally Szczerbiak scored 19 points and Kevin Garnett matched a season low with 11 for Minnesota.
Clippers 100, Trail Blazers 94: At Portland, Elton Brand had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Los Angeles snapped a losing streak at the Rose Garden that dated to 1999. Cuttino Mobley had 23 points for the Clippers and Sam Cassell added 22. Juan Dixon had 24 points for the Blazers.
Around the league
Miami coach Pat Riley has signed a contract extension, the team announced. No terms of the deal were specified, including whether it addressed his role as coach or team president. Since taking over for Stan Van Gundy, who resigned as coach last month, Riley is 8-3. … Former NBA player Charles Shackleford was arrested on drug and weapon charges during a routine traffic stop. Shackleford, 39, who played at North Carolina State and with four NBA teams in six seasons, was arrested in Johnston County on Saturday by a North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper and faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of cocaine. He was released on $11,000 bond.